DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42129#0111
PALAZZO MARTINENGO, IN BRESCIA.
(ALESSANDRO BONVICINO CALLED IL MORETTO. 1536—1550.)
PLATE 29.
One of the noble family Martinengo, of Brescia, desirous of having
around him the portraits of his charming daughters, when the ordinary
course of events should deprive him of their company, gave Moretto
the opportunity of contriving a most striking and novel method of
introducing them into the decorations of a room, without making use
of the common means of framed portraits. Like Correggio, in the
foregoing instance, he transformed the whole room into an open
summer-house, closed in all the sides by a low wall overlaid with rich
carpets, upon which he represented the sitting figures of Martinengo’s
daughters, while behind them he opened extensive views, containing
the country-seats of the opulent family for which he was employed.
The ladies to be painted were eight in number ; Moretto, therefore,
placed two on each wall of the room, in a sitting position; the two
youngest, however, he painted on the two sides of the window, as if
looking over the low wall into the room.
It will be seen from the ground plan that there are two doors in the
longer sides of the room, and as these break through the paintings in
an unpleasant way, we have given one of the narrow sides, and have
contrived to combine on it the decorations of the other walls.
It appears that the decorative style of that period of the sixteenth
century was already degenerating, as may be easily seen even from the
portion here represented ; for this reason it was thought unnecessary
(ALESSANDRO BONVICINO CALLED IL MORETTO. 1536—1550.)
PLATE 29.
One of the noble family Martinengo, of Brescia, desirous of having
around him the portraits of his charming daughters, when the ordinary
course of events should deprive him of their company, gave Moretto
the opportunity of contriving a most striking and novel method of
introducing them into the decorations of a room, without making use
of the common means of framed portraits. Like Correggio, in the
foregoing instance, he transformed the whole room into an open
summer-house, closed in all the sides by a low wall overlaid with rich
carpets, upon which he represented the sitting figures of Martinengo’s
daughters, while behind them he opened extensive views, containing
the country-seats of the opulent family for which he was employed.
The ladies to be painted were eight in number ; Moretto, therefore,
placed two on each wall of the room, in a sitting position; the two
youngest, however, he painted on the two sides of the window, as if
looking over the low wall into the room.
It will be seen from the ground plan that there are two doors in the
longer sides of the room, and as these break through the paintings in
an unpleasant way, we have given one of the narrow sides, and have
contrived to combine on it the decorations of the other walls.
It appears that the decorative style of that period of the sixteenth
century was already degenerating, as may be easily seen even from the
portion here represented ; for this reason it was thought unnecessary